Milwaukee County to require COVID-19 boosters for workers, volunteers in jail, House of Correction

Those who work or volunteer in Milwaukee County's high-risk facilities such as the county jail and House of Correction will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster or face consequences.

The new requirement announced Wednesday applies to eligible employees, contractors and volunteers. It also includes the juvenile detention center and the behavioral health hospital.

Those for whom enough time has passed since they received the first vaccine series must get boosted by Feb. 4 or 21 days after they become eligible.

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The statement from County Executive David Crowley's office cited the need to protect the health and safety of those who work in the facilities and are held in them.

It also noted the need to lessen the risk of employees contracting and spreading the illness.

The requirement comes as cases surged among staff and those held in the Milwaukee County Jail in recent weeks as the omicron variant sweeps through the nation and globe. The ballooning of cases in the facility in late December and into the new year exacerbated existing staffing challenges in the jail.

Those who do not comply will not be able to receive voluntary overtime or risk-recognition pay and could face consequences including a 10-day unpaid suspension. Their noncompliance could also be considered in decisions such as promotion and hiring.

Those who already received exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate are not subject to the updated booster requirement.

According to Crowley's spokesman, 88% of all county employees have been verified as vaccinated and the same percentage of employees at high-risk facilities are vaccinated as well.

The county is urging all employees to receive their booster doses as soon as possible and is starting with incentives before mandates, he said.

All county employees who submit proof that they have received a booster shot will be entered into weekly drawings between Jan. 14 and March 11 in which at least two employees will receive a $250 reward, according to Crowley's office.

The county announced in September a requirement that gave county employees until Oct. 1 to prove they were vaccinated, or seek exemptions for health or religious reasons. The county has more than 4,000 employees, according to Crowley's office.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County to require COVID-19 boosters for jail workers